Between a Kim and a Hard Place
by FortressMaximus
Summary: Final Chapter!1-20-08 Kim & Ron have hit a rough patch; bad enough for Kim to yell at Jim & Tim and almost tell her dad off! MrsDrP has an idea what's going on, but will her wisdom help? Can Kim help Ron overcome his greatest fear before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Between a Kim and a Hard Place Chapter 1 By: Fortress Maximus

Authors Note: My first Kim Possible fanfic!! Right now it's just a little story that's been in the back of my mind for some time. I'm not sure how big it's going to be but I'll try to update a lot faster than in the past. "The Power is Possible" (as mentioned in my bio) is on the back burner for tweaking and muse-finding.

I don't own Kim Possible. If I did, we'd have season box sets out the wazoo on the shelves and a Kim Possible movie in the theaters by Christmas!

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Anne Possible looked up at the clock.

9:37PM.

On a Friday night.

This was not good.

The 'this' MrsDrP was worried about dealt with the fact that her daughter, world renowned hero Kim Possible, returned home way too early from a date with her boyfriend and world-saving partner Ron Stoppable for the elder Possible's comfort. The windows only just finished rattling from the thunderous door slam a few moments ago when another set of vibrations caught her attention.

"Please boys...not tonight..." she silently begged her twin boys as they ran down the steps from their room. Casting off her dish gloves, Anne dashed out into the family room to prevent her daughter from going nuclear at her little brothers if the pair tried to tease her.

She was about 5 seconds too late.

"Hey! Kim's home early again from going out with Ron!" yelled Jim

"Maybe he finally got sick from all her cooties!" added Tim, joining his brother in the joke.

The pair was laughing so hard they failed to notice the look of pure venom on their sister's face. Unaware of their impending doom, the twins continued to rag on her until Kim, in a moment of pure anger neither of her parents had ever seen, came down on the two boys like a pallet of bricks.

"LISTEN TO ME YOU WORTHLESS TWEEBS! I AM SICK OF COMING HOME AND PUTTING UP WITH YOUR NONSENSE! I SWEAR ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO GET YOU TWO TRANSFERRED TO THE MOST BORING SCHOOL I CAN FIND! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!?

The laughing stopped immediately; the boys' look of glee now one of shared fear. Kim had never yelled at them like that before, and they both knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she could make good on her threat. One call to Wade the she'd have the boys someplace where the Internet didn't exist and the most challenging course would be Trig 101.

Gulping in harmony, the twins nodded as they slowly backed away from the horrible monster that looked like their sister. "Yes ma'am, we understand!" they whispered before turning to dash back up the stairs to their shared room.

A quick slam of the door and the sound of a lock being turned was all that could be heard in the home for several long seconds before James Possible, patriarch of the family, slowly put down his paper and addressed his fuming daughter.

"Kimmy-Cub, don't you think you were a little..."

He never got a chance to finish.

"Dad, for the last time I am NOT your Kimmy-Cub anymore! I am Kim Possible and I am almost a fully grown woman and it's about time you and Ron understood that!" she said, her tone only slightly less venomous than what she had used on her brothers. Still, for Kim to talk like that to her father Anne knew there had to be something very VERY wrong.

James's eyes were still wide with shock when a calming hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Kim, why don't you go upstairs and get into something more comfortable than that black dress..." she quietly but noticeably 'suggested'.

Realizing she had just obliterated several dozen rules of decorum that were mainstays in the Possible household, Kim pushed down her churning emotions and nodded before heading up the stairs to her room without even glancing at her dad.

As the sound of Kim's door squeezing shut filled the air, Anne turned to James. "Dear, I think we have a problem."

Sighing in agreement, MrDrP looked at his wife. "This is the third Friday Kim's come home early from a date with Ronald, but she's never been this angry before." the rocket scientist mused quietly to himself for several moments before fixing Anne with a hard glaze. "You don't think Ronald tried to go too far with Kim...do you?" he suggested firmly, his tone making it clear if that was the case young Mr. Stoppable would no longer worry about being shot into space but rather becoming the first person to walk on the sun.

"No, James, I don't-and I think that's the problem..." Anne replied in the same quiet tone. Upon seeing her husband's confused look she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I have an idea James, but right now the best thing for you, the boys, and Kim is for the Possible home to be male free for the next few hours."

"Male free?"

"I think so. Why don't you take the boys to that late late showing of the Fearless Ferret movie playing at the drive-in? They can sleep late in the morning since there's no soccer practice this week, and you can make it a 'boys night out' which is something you've mentioned wanting to do for a while.

Now, when it came to rocket science Dr. James Possible was...well, a rocket scientist. Star graphs and thrust equations held no challenge for him. But where is daughter was concerned, well...he might as well be holding a book called "Teen aged Daughters for Dummies' and calling the help number on the back to explain some of the chapters within. But he did know his wife and one thing after so many wonderful years of marriage is he knew when he was politely being asked to get the hell out of the way and let her work.

This was one of those times.

"Okay dear, you win. But you will remind our daughter that manners aren't something you can forget just because you happen to be riled up! Manners is what separates us from people like show-folk you know..." the elder Possible emphasized for clarity.

With a smile Anne nodded. "I promise I'll make sure she knows she crossed a line and we're willing to make an exception this once..." .

Sighing, James accepted the terms and reached over for his car keys. "Jim...Tim...can you come down here please?" he called up the stairs.

It took a moment for the boys to respond, carefully taking small, quiet footsteps until they reached the top of the stairs. Peeking down through the banister the pair made sure their Sister of Doom wasn't still around, they quickly joined their father making sure to give Kim's door a wide berth on the way down

"Uhm..Dad.." the two began at the same time as was their usual fashion. Jim paused and let his brother start. "I..we're really sorry if we upset Kim that much. We were just joking...honest!"

Jim nodded. "I mean, Ron's great! And he's got Rufus so that's extra cool bonus points right there..." he noted, hoping that they could repair whatever damage they caused, even if they didn't know HOW they caused it.

"Boys, your sister is not herself tonight and I think you know that. Sometimes people are upset or mad at someon...something else and it gets taken out on the wrong people. Now that doesn't make it RIGHT...it's just a reason. But..." he paused, giving the pair a hard look..."you know that teasing your sister about cooties is something we've talked about before...".

The twin faces looked at the floor. "Yes, Sir...".

"So are we going to do that again then?"

"No, Sir."

With a smile, father glanced at mother, who nodded back. It was clear they two learned their lesson. Looking back at the two, James knelt down and gave them both a powerful hug. "How about we make a guys night out you two? Popcorn, drinks and a Fearless Ferret movie on me?"

Twin pairs of eyes lit up like sparking lights on Christmas Morning as the boys stood there dumbfounded at their dad.

"You mean like"  
"tonight at the Drive-in?"

"You got it fellas. Grab your Fearless Ferret membership cards so you can get the free poster, and meet me at the car in...oh...T-minus 60 seconds?"

Rolling their eyes at the well-worn joke, the boys scrambled off to get their membership cards while Anne giggled. "James, that joke's getting older than us."

"What do you mean us? It's still a classic!" the man countered earning a rather playful look from his wife.

"A classic humm? Does that mean we're classic now?"

With a grin James pulled his wife close and took advantage of the empty room for the next few seconds and kissed Anne with a passion that would have caused the twins to dive behind the couch to escape the Cootie infection and Kim to implode from watching her parents lock lips.

"I think as we get more classic, we just get better Anne"  
"As a medical expert, I've give you a second opinion that you're definitely right James.." replied the woman, a bit breathless by the experience.

The sound of galloping horses...or twin brothers (both were about the same) brought the elders Possible back to reality. With a grin towards his wife, James walked to the door with the boys. "Don't wait up Mother.." he called back, looking forward to the night with his sons but it was clear in his eyes the worry he felt about Kim wouldn't be resolved until he talked to Anne in a few hours.

"Have a good time boys!" she called out, sighing softly as the door closed and the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway finally faded into the night. It was only then she looked up the stairs towards Kim's door, knowing neither of them were looking forward to the talk they both knew was coming...

To Be Continued... 


	2. Chapter 2

Between a Kim and a Hard Place

Chapter 2

By: FortressMaximus

Authors Notes: THANK YOU to everyone for all the great reviews and kind words! I truly wasn't expecting a quick little chapter to really be received this well!

I know this one is a little shorter, but I sincerely hope Chapter 2 doesn't disappoint and deepens the mystery a little!

Thanks again!

PS: I don't own Kim Possible.

FM

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"Colder Rufus".

"Nuh huh".

Blinking, a naked Ron Stoppable looked up from the corner of the bathtub as the freezing cold water rained down on him from the nozzle several feet in front and above of him. With knees pulled to his chest, the teen looked at his friend (thinking of Rufus as a 'pet' was so foreign to him by now it rarely entered his mind to even say it) not caring how tear-streaked his cheeks were from the light sobbing that had plagued him most of the way home.

Without a word to the mole rat Ron went straight to the bathroom, undressed and proceeded to take another very long and VERY cold shower. He hadn't even noticed Rufus until the mole rat slipped around the shower curtain to make sure he was okay.

"Rufus, I need it colder. Please?" he asked, almost pleadingly.

The naked mole rat sighed, an all-too-human trait that would have shocked anyone outside Team Possible. He didn't like seeing his human do this for whatever reason he was; even a naked mole rat knows freezing cold showers aren't the way to get clean.

It had been like this for several weeks now, and Rufus was almost as confused now as then. The only headway he had made was that his human's new obsession with cold water had something to do with his mate-to-be with the red hair. With Ron apologizing to Kim as the boy cried in the corner, Rufus tried to get more from the human but only received cryptic answers like 'It's my fault Rufus' or overhearing the youth berate himself by muttering 'Stupid Ron, can't think about Kim like that!'

He thought about going to see Kim, but the mole rat wasn't sure if what was going on was a natural part of human mating or not; jumping in the middle of it might make things worse. So he continued to do what he had done for the past few years; be there for Ron to talk to when he felt like it.

Only now, things had apparently gotten worse.

"Water cold! No more!" he replied to Ron's plea, not sure how the boy would take it.

Blinking, Ron fixed Rufus with a bleary gaze then shifted his focus towards the controls. With a deep sigh he saw his little buddy was right; the lever were all the way over to 'C' so that meant he had finally gotten use to the frigid water.

The look on Ron's face made the mole rat suddenly apprehensive as he watched the youth stand up and turn off the water, covering himself with a towel. Turning away as the boy threw on his PJ's, Rufus only looked back when he felt Ron's hands lift him up and bring the pair face-to-face.

"Well little buddy..." the freckled boy began, a smile on his lips but not a trace of humor in his voice..."looks like Plan B".

"Huh?" the mole rat did not like this for some reason.

Watching carefully, Rufus was carried downstairs to the living room and the pair sat down. Not for the first time this night did Rufus wish the boy's parents were home and not at an emergency Actuary conference. With the Mather recently busting out of jail, Eugene Stoppable felt it was his duty to brief everyone in his organization on the villain's mathematical powers in case the evildoer struck close to one of their homes or businesses. And with Mrs. Stoppable giving Hanna a grand tour of the local flower gardens and museums Ron had the house to himself.

Plopping down, Ron reached for the TV remove and clicked on the unit, leaning back with a somber look on his face.

Rufus, for his part, scampered down to the end table and helpfully offered the TV Guide, only to find the youth putting it aside.

"Sorry Little Buddy, no monster movies for me tonight..." he said, taking a deep breath before flipping to the one channel...the only channel...he NEVER, EVER watched.

'Welcome to The Best of Fantasy Monkey Island here on the Ape Channel!' shouted the announcer as the large jungle forest literally erupted with thousands of monkeys all chattering and screaming as they poured across the TV screen. As they passed, a gorilla in a hand-tailored and rather elegant white suit with black tie came onto the screen. 'Well Abu, what do you see...?'

"Aye! Monkey!" yelled Rufus as he dived for the remove, only to be stopped inches from his prize by...Ron??

"Sorry Rufus, but I gotta watch this...".

"Monkey! Phooey!"

Ron huddled up once more, his knees to chest as he shakily grasped the remote-it was clear that Ron's was desperately trying to not run away from the multitude of simians on the TV. "I gotta do this for Kim..." he muttered to himself, forgetting Rufus was there for the most part. already..."...monkey nightmares are better than Kim dreams..." he whispered as if trying to convince himself of the truth behind that mantra.

"Please, no more Kim dreams; I can't keep thinking about her like that...I just can't..." came the soft plea as the tears started to flow once more.

But for Kim, no price was to high to protect her from harm-even if the harm was from his own thoughts...

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Between a Kim and a Hard Place

Chapter 3

By: FortressMaximus

Authors notes: I don't own Kim Possible. If I did, do you think I'd be ending it with season four?

Thanks again to everyone's kind words and reviews! It really means a lot!!

I hope you like Chapter 3!

FM

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"Can I come in?"

Kim looked up, pulled from her thoughts by her mothers query. Glancing over at the head peeking up through the stairwell door she nodded, forcing the ghost of a smile to her lips.

"Sure Mom".

Anne nodded and entered, watching her daughter quietly as the elder Possible walked over. In what Anne thought was a supreme sense of irony, Kim was now wearing one of Ron's old red jerseys; her little black dress now draped over her computer chair.

Sitting down next to Kim, Anne decided to let her go first.

Several long moments passed between mother and child before the latter finally spoke up. "Guess I'm ferociously grounded huh?"

"Actually, it depends."

Blinking, Kim looked at her mom "Do I want to ask?"

"Your father and I talked, and we're going to give you some major leeway this time .." she began before fixing her daughter with a sharp look..."because I'm sure you're going explain what made you so upset to cause an outburst like that."

Kim winced as it was clear her mom's tone left little room for discussion. Her parents were willing to work with her, but there was no way she could gloss over what had happened between her and Ron.

Not that she understood it all herself, truth be told.

"I guess they hate me now. Can't say I blame them.."

At that, Anne put a reassuring hand on Kim's shoulder. "Your father is more worried than angry Kimmie, and the boys...well, they understand a line was crossed and they partially deserved a good talking too. But between you and me, a few days of fence-mending and extra trips to the comic book store wouldn't hurt."

Nodding, the cheerleader silently agreed. She was beyond grateful for the lack of grounding, and some extra chores around the house couldn't hurt either.

Another several minutes passed before either spoke, and Anne could see her daughter was more than a little uncomfortable about the conversation to follow.

"Kim...I know something happened tonight between you and Ron, and I can tell it's very personal. But no matter how embarrassing, we can get though it if we're honest with each other. We're both grown up women and we can have a mature discussion. Right?"

Nodding, Kim looked around the room, not really seeing anything as she tried to think of what to say next. Her mom was right; the time for embarrassment at the physical part of her relationship with Ron was long past. She needed answers, and there was no one she trusted more when it came to boys and dating.

"Something...happened tonight mom. Something I just don't understand;.it's all just so confusing..."

"Then why don't you start at the beginning and maybe we can figure it out together?" Anne suggested, giving her daughter's hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

Kim nodded and pulled her legs under her Indian style crossing her arms. "Well, you know we were going to go see 'Bricks of Fury 9-The Final Block' but when we got there it was sold out. Ron was pretty disappointed, but I suggested some Bueno Nacho and he was all smiles again."

Anne nodded, knowing of the boy's love for all food Mexican. Well, -all- food in general except for meat cakes. The one and only time she tried the recipe Ron had all but bolted from the room.

"After we ate, I suggested we go up to Lake Middleton..."

"Make Out Point?"

At that Kim winced. "I'm not even going to ask how you know about that."

"Your father and I knew all about Make Out Point long before you came along."

Kim shuttered at the mental image that raced through her mind, knowing she could never unsee it. "Mom, please...TMI!"

"Okay, Okay.." she promised, letting her own mind drift back to those rather interesting nights in James's Rothe, version 1.0 until Kim seemed ready to continue.

Well, we got to the lake and pulled up under the big oak near the cove and just..uhm...started snuggling..." Kim began, her cheeks turning cherry red. "After a while my leg started to cramp and I tried to shift a little so it wouldn't go totally numb."

Anne nodded, not admitting she had that same problem more than once in that rather tight back seat.

"Ron guessed what I was trying to do and he shifted too. But right in the middle of getting settled, someone close hit their horn and Ron nearly fell into the back floorboard."

"Nearly?"

Kim nodded, looking away for a moment. "I kinda caught him before he slid out of the seat all the way, but.." it was then the trailed off, twirling a strand of her hair around an index finger.

"But...?"

"I landed on top him."

Blinking at the rather tame result, Anne fixed her daughter with a curious look. "That doesn't sound so bad...".

"Mom, you don't understand! .I -landed- on -top- of HIM" she said again, stressing specific words hoping she could say what she needed to say without -saying- what she didn't want to.

It took a few moments, but at last MrsDrP put the puzzle together and found herself blushing in sympathy for Kim. "Oh...I see...".

"I...could tell Ron was nervous at the whole sitch, so I turned around to apologize. .." she whispered, arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders.

Ann reached over, pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "What happened Kimmy?" she quietly asked.

"It was his eyes."

"What about them?"

"It was like...looking into the eyes of a lion when you're the gazelle." Kim paused, glancing up towards her mother. "He -wanted- me Mom; mind, body and soul."

Anne paled a bit, suddenly worried that James' earlier fear of Ron going too far was going to hit closer to the truth than she wanted. "Kimmy, did Ron try to...take...something from you tonight?"

It took a moment for Kim to realize what she meant, and wildly shook her head. "No, please don't think that! He didn't...he wouldn't...not like that!" she countered, clutching Anne closer. "He didn't try that Mom, but...when he kissed me..oh God, I never wanted it to stop! My blood was on fire and every nerve ending was lit up like a Christmas tree! I could feel him Mom, pressing up against me; pulling me down to hold me close! His fingertips on my arms; Mom...I just never wanted any of it to end!"

Kim finally paused, taking a moment to compose herself as the memories were still too fresh to yet push aside.

Anne Possible gently rocked her daughter knowing full well what the younger girl was going through. The night she and James made love for the first time the same burning emotions were a part of the moment. Every touch and intimate caress set her aflame until the next morning when only the totality of their exhaustion extinguished the aching need both had enslaved too. Now that Kim had her own brush with passion, she knew her daughter would never be the same again. The memory of those few minutes would be forever seared into her minds' eye.

"Can you tell me what happened next?" Anne gently asked, feeling that whatever happened between Kim and Ron was getting close.

Nodding, Kim finally composed herself enough to continue. "He kissed me like that for several minutes, not even stopping to breath. It's...kinda hazy after that; I remember him moving to my neck, then shoulders. I remember him kissing me here.." she said, two fingertips running over a spot on her left shoulder and desperately trying hard to not tremble at the memory..."that almost made me melt. I begged him to not stop...and...and then..."

"Then what?"

"I...I don't know! He just froze with this look of terror on his face! I just...one minute he's kissing me like there's no tomorrow and the next he's scampering away like I'm the most hideous creature imaginable!"

As the anger started to build in Kim's voice, Anne tightened the hug around her upset daughter.

"Ron was doing so great; why did he stop?! Why didn't he want to be with me??"

Anne gently rocked the young girl, wishing she had all the answers to her daughters painful questions. "I wasn't there Kim, so I can't say. Did Ron do or say anything at all; give you any reasons for the sudden change?"

"No! He just kept apologizing and saying that he was sorry. But he didn't DO anything wrong! He just scampered over the seat and out of the car. I tried to stop him but he just kept begging me to forgive him and..then...he just ran away. He just...left me there...".

The sadness in Kim's voice almost broke Anne's heart. Ron would never hurt Kim like that, on purpose or by accident; yet he did. But for him to be so passionate one moment, then slip into a near- panic the next, -something- must have happened.

But what could it have been?

It was then the proverbial light bulb went off in Anne's mind, her maternal wisdom slowly putting the pieces together. Maybe...just maybe...

"Kim, did you say anything to Ron before he changed? Anything at all?"

The young woman shook her head. "No, I didn't!. Everything was fine; more than fine! It was great!"

"Didn't you ask him to not stop kissing you right before he panicked?"

"I think so, but how could that have caused him to stop? I was asking him to keep kissing me!"

"What did you say when you asked him to not stop kissing you?" she asked gently but firmly.

Still beet red, Kim turned away for a moment. "Like I said, it's all kind of hazy. But I ...I told him to not stop kissing me."

With a deep sigh, Anne knew she was getting close and the doctor wished like hell she was going to be wrong. All of Ron's fear and Kim's anger over something so simple...

"Kimmie-Cub, I need you to think hard; tell me -exactly- what you said."

Blinking, the youth nodded and closed her eyes. Slowly her mind drifted back to the time with Ron. His hands upon her arms, the feeling of aching want pressing against her as she felt Ron -there- for the first time, pressed against her inner thigh. The feel of his lips upon her shoulder and the liquid fire that ran down her spine without pause. The moan of desire that escaped her lips, telling the man she loved to ...

"Don't stop."

"What?"

"That's...that's what I said 'Don't Stop'".

Anne sighed softly, wishing her guess hadn't been proven right.

Kim studied the look on her mother's face, confused as to what she was seeing there. "Mom...what? What did...what did I do?" she asked, the fear in her voice rising slightly. It was then Kim started to get an awful feeling that it was her fault, not Ron's, for what happened.

"Kimmy, listen..."

"Mom, what did I do!?'

"Listen to me, okay?"

Tensing at the tone of her mom's voice, Kim quieted down and nodded softly.

"How long have you known Ron?"

The cheerleader blinked, not expecting that question at all. "Mom, you know that we've been best friends since pre-K..."

"And when you first met him, what did he try to do for you?"

"Protect me from those bullies."

"And that's what he's done his entire life since he known you, hasn't he Kim? Part of who he is-maybe even part of his very soul- to protect and keep you safe."

"But he wasn't hurting me Mom! I promise you he wasn't!"

Anne gently hugged Kim close. "I know that sweetie, and so do you! But to Ron, I'm more than willing to bet his seconded greatest fear is you being hurt. He won't let that happen, no matter what. He simply cares for you too much.

"His second greatest fear? Then what's his first--monkeys? But after dealing with Chippy and Fredrick, he's been getting better!"

"Maybe it was monkeys at one point Kim, but I don't think that's the case anymore."

"I...I don't understand..."

"Ron's greatest fear is him becoming the person he hates most; someone who hurts you."

Kim sat there, emerald eyes betraying the confusion she felt within.

"When you said 'don't stop' some small part of Ron-the part that will always be your protector-didn't hear you ask him to keep going. What he heard was 'don't...stop..." Anne said softly, simply not seeing any other way for the night to have unfolded as it did.

Almost all the color drained from Kim's face; the slight change in the way her mom said the same phrase made it clear how Ron could have thought he was hurting her. And if Ron thought for a second he -was- hurting her...

"Oh God. Mom...what have I done?!"

To be continued...

Next up:

Is Kim really at fault? Can she find a way to help Ron?  
Will MrDrP send Ron to the sun anyway? And what kind of SPF would you even NEED??


	4. Chapter 4

Between a Kim and a Hard Place

Chapter 4

By: FortressMaximus

Authors notes: Thanks again to everyone who read the story as well as those who left some really great reviews!

I wasn't sure if I could get Kim and company down properly on paper, but with your kind words I'm feeling a lot more confident about tackling this new universe!

I hope you like this chapter!

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Rufus watched helpless as Ron twisted and turned in his sleep, sweat pouring off his body as nightmares ran unchecked through his mind. At times he would cry out, begging the monkeys to go away. Others, he would curl up into a ball and beg Kim to forgive him as his face became damp with tears.

The naked mole rat knew this wasn't right.

With no luck waking Ron from his frightful slumber, Rufus knew he only had one option left-Kim.

Reluctantly, he knew he had to leave Ron's side for the moment. Scampering out the raised window and to the ground, his tiny paws pounded hard on the grass as he pushed himself with all possible speed towards the house of his humans' mate.

A pair of yellow eyes watched as avian wings took flight.

Anne stood there, unsure what-if anything-to say as Kim paced back and forth on the carpet.

"I must be the worst girlfriend in the history of the world!" she all but growled, her tone dark and growing more so by the moment.

"Kimmy..."

If Kim Possible even heard her mom it's doubtful she would have paused.

"It's bad enough I miss the BEST thing that could EVER happen to me for over a DECADE, now I have to miss that I'm causing the man I love panic attacks because I'm more concerned with my own needs than what he's going through!"

Anne frowned, not liking where Kim's tone of voice was heading. Her anger was growing once again, but this time is was blatantly self-directed.

"But the worse part is that I SHOULD have seen this coming! Even after all that crap about the food chain, and Bonnie and that syntho-jerk Eric I should have known Ron might still problems with going from friends to dating!"

"Kim..." quietly intoned Anne as she tried to defuse her daughters growing anger.

"Was I kidding myself mom?! Here I am, all in my little black dress that almost gave Ron a heart attack during Middleton Days and thinking he's all fine and dandy when in reality he's tearing himself apart and I don't see it because I'm too concerned with getting my jollies than a terrified Ron who's RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"

It was them Kim sat down, close to crying as she put her head in her hands. "God, Ron must think I'm the worlds biggest slu..."

"KIMBERLY ANNE POSSIBLE!"

Jerking her head up, Kim froze in mortal terror as Anne Possible towered over her; eyes blazing with living fire as she glared down at her offspring.

(This is how the Tweebs felt, isn't it?) she thought to herself, realizing this was partial payback for the way she yelled at her brothers earlier. Trembling under the horrific gaze, Kim curled up into the chair.

"Yes, ma'am...?"

"First thing-CALM...DOWN."

"Yes, ma'am." she whispered, taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. She repeated the processes until her mom looked satisfied.

"Second, you do not...AND WILL NOT...ever use that word in my house again."

Again, the shell-shocked teen nodded in compliance.

"Finally-if I EVER catch you calling yourself THAT word again I will turn you over my knee and I will make your bottom match your hair and I won't care HOW old you are! Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear. Kimberly?"

Nodding, Kim quietly nodded as her mom bent down to take her hands.

"Kimmy, listen to me okay?" Anne whispered, her anger moments earlier already put back in check. "Whatever has happened between you and Ron is NOT your fault..." she said, pausing to place a finger over Kim's lips before she could argue the point.

"You are such an incredible young woman, and I so proud of everything you've accomplished. But even more than that I am so happy you have found a great boy like Ron to share your heart with. However, despite everything you and Ron CAN do, the one thing you CAN'T do is see every problem that is going to happen in a relationship. You and Ron are just at the start of the greatest adventure you're ever going to have-being in love; and that is something that is going to have to unfold of it's own accord."

Slowly Kim nodded, understanding taking the place of misguided fury as she realized her mom was right. As much as she wanted to find a source to blame all of tonight's unhappiness on, doing so wouldn't help Ron in the here and now.

"What do I need to do to make it right?"

Anne smiled, waiting for her daughter to ask that very question. "Go to him."

At that, Kim blinked. "What...?"

"Go to him Kim. Have a mature discussion of what happened tonight and even more importantly WHY it happened. Tell him how you feel and have him tell you what he's feeling."

"It can't be that simple Mom...".

"It can be, if you let it Kimmy. But you're going to have to be honest with him; you can't be embarrassed by what either of you say."

Nodding, Kim knew that she was going to have to tell Ron some of her innermost thoughts and dreams-and listen to his-so they could find common ground. But most of all, she knew Ron had to realize that his feelings and desires for her wasn't causing anyone pain but himself.

"Mom, I've got to see him tonight!" she blurted out suddenly. "I know it's almost my curfew, but I've got too..."

"Don't worry about that Kim. You stay as long as you need to get all of this worked out." Anne said with a quiet determination that made her daughter realize that any objections from her father would be quickly overruled.

Standing up, Kim wrapped her arms around Anne and squeezed with all her might. "Thank you..." she whispered, fighting back the tears.

Anne started to nod in reply, but froze in place suddenly. "Rufus!"

Turning, Kim blinked as the small naked mole rat was pounding as hard as he could on the glass window. Dashing over, she raised the window and screen and cupped the pink visitor carefully. "Rufus, what are you doing here!?" she asked, knowing for the mole rat to be outside this late meant something was bad wrong with Ron.

"Ron monkey nightmares! Bad Kim dreams!" he squeaked back

For a moment, she was at a loss as to what the mole rat meant. (Bad Kim dreams?? What could he mean??) she thought to herself before she noticed the blood trickling down her fingertips and onto the carpet. "Rufus, you're hurt!" she yelled, setting her friend down on her bed beyond caring about the blood on the fabric.

"Owl. Ouch!" he said, wincing as the talon gouges sent waves of pain down his spine.

"Kim, keep him still! I'll be right back with my bag!" Anne ordered, quickly running downstairs to grab her back-up bad. Though a neurosurgeon by trade, the woman always kept a bag of common necessities in case her general first aid skills were ever needed by a family member or neighbor.

And to Anne Possible, Rufus was definitely like Ron: a card-carrying member of the former group.

As the doctor disappeared down the steps, Kim gently rubbed Rufus's head. "Owl huh? I'm betting he got a full taste of Mystical Monkey Power.." she guessed, letting a grin form on her lips as the image of an owl getting a solid one-two punch from a Mystical Monkey powered naked mole rat would have been something to see.

With a grin, Rufus gave his best 'thumbs up'..." Boo-yea!"

Leaning down, Kim let her smile fade as she kissed Rufus on the head. "I'm sorry you got hurt Rufus, but I promise I'll do everything in my power to make Ron O.K." she whispered, leaning back up just as her mom came back up the stairs.

If Anne had heard Rufus's comments on Ron's nightmares, she kept quiet about it. Instead she started laying out antiseptic and gauze. "Okay Kim, hold him steady. This might sting a bit Rufus..."

Though the alcohol did sting a bit it-along with the peroxide-cleaned the wound out nicely and with a delicate touch the gauze was on with minimal pain to the rodent warrior.

"Rufus, you going to be okay?" Kim asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice.

The naked mole rat had been watching the human for several minutes and knew she was aching to get to his humans' home. She didn't want to leave before she knew everything was going to be all-right and THAT spoke volumes to the rodent; his human picked a good mate choice.

With another small smile, Rufus nodded. "A-O.K.! Get Ron's back!"

Kim grinned at the smallest member of Team Possible as she turned to her mom. Before she could speak, Anne stopped her with a hug.

"I'll watch Rufus."

"Are you sure...?"

"GO."

Nodding, Kim ran over to her closet and grabbed her mission gear; this was the most important mission of her life and she was going to give herself every advantage, psychological and otherwise. After a harried moment of getting everything together, the teen started down the stairs.

"Kimmy...wait..." called Anne, momentarily fumbling with something in her bag before walking over.

"Mom..." Kim whispered though gritted teeth; she wanted...needed...to get to Ron now!

"Kim...take this...just in case."

Not sure what her mom was shooting for, Kim reached over and took the small object into her hand. It was only after she looked at it for a full half-minute did she realize what it was.

"MOM!" she hissed, her cheeks flaming red as the small foil-covered square rested in her palm. "Where did you get this!?"

Crossing her arms, Anne looked down at her daughter. "Where do you think?"

The horror on Kim's face told exactly that she has just put two and two together and realized that her parents-her wonderful, smart and kind parents-had SEX and her dad used...THESE THINGS...on a basis she really didn't want to know about.

The teen could only look at her mom with a look of unexpected shock and muttered a somewhat erratic "W..why..?"

"I wasn't going give it to you at first Kim, but we both know that the subject of...IT...has been something you two have been dancing around for a while. I'm not saying I think tonight is the right time; that's for you two to decide. But I'd rather see my daughter go in prepared for whatever might happen than risk the alternative."

"Mom, I...don't...this isn't..."

Gently, Anne brought Kim's eyes to meet hers. "I trust you Kim, and Ron, to make the right decision. You're both smart, mature young people and I have to accept the fact that it's going to happen sooner or later. Personally, I don't want you and Ron to...be together...for a while longer, but as a woman I know how unpredictable passion can be."

Kim nodded, slowly realizing all her mom wanted was for her to be prepared for whatever happened. Considering how the slightest kiss from Ron earlier set her blood aflame having protection was only prudent.

The call was in her hands now, and after a long moment Kim knew what had to be the answer.

"No."

Anne blinked. "Kimmy, are you sure?"

Nodding, Kim put the small foil pack back into her mom's hand. "I know you're trying to help, and I know I SHOULD have that with me. But...if I do...Mom, I don't think I could stop myself for letting it happen and I KNOW I'm not ready, just like Ron's not ready. Right now, that's the easy way out, and Ron deserves better."

With a smile and nod, Anne kissed her daughter on the forehead. "He already has the best Kim; he has you. Now get going; he needs you."

With a grateful smile she dashed downstairs, changing into her mission gear on the fly. In remarkable time she (reluctantly) replaced Ron's jersey with her normal 'save the world' outfit. Reaching the door she flung it open...

...to run right into an equally startled Jim, Tim and Dr. James Possible.

"Kimmie-Cu..." Dr. P started to say, then caught himself..."Kim, are you okay?"

The teen hero just stood there, looking at her father and little brothers. The pair of twins wore expressions of fear as the moment almost looked like her earlier blowup in the living room. But unlike then, Kim said nothing and knelt down, pulling her two siblings into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry guys. You're the best brothers a girl could want and I'm really sorry if I hurt your feelings..." she whispered, meaning every word with the utmost regret at what had happened earlier.

Jim and Tim could only stand there confused for a moment before Kim's words finally sank in. As their own arms wrapped around their big sister, the pair sniffled a little.

"We're sorry too Kim"  
"..and we promise to not make fun of you and Ron anymore!"

With a grin, Kim nodded knowing full well that while the boys honestly meant what they were saying at the moment, the urge to tease her and Ron would become too great to ignore in the not-to-distant-future.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Feeling the boys squirm slightly at extended hug, Kim let go and stood up coming face-to-face with her worried father. Before he could say anything, his daughter leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"I love you daddy, and I'll ALWAYS be your Kimmie-Cub."

Wrapping his daughter in a tight hug, James savored the moment before he finally let go. It was then he noticed she was in her mission togs.

"Are you going to get Ron?" the elder Possible asked softly.

"Dad, Ron is the mission. I...we've..got to..." she stammered, not sure what she should say.

"Then go to him Kim; fix whatever is wrong and come back with a healed heart."

Kim stood there, a bit shocked by her father's insight. Normally he would be saying that it was close to her curfew, or that with Ron's parents out of town did she really need to go there now? But instead of the hesitant, nervous father there was only a dad who wanted her daughter to be happy and whole once more.

With a nod Kim took off, disappearing into the moonlight drenched night.

"Dad, are Kim and Ron gonna be okay?" asked Tim, catching his father off guard for a moment.

"I think so son; I think so...".

Tim looked over at his brother, who's own face reflected the relief that Ron was still going to be a part of their lives.

"Hicka-Bicka-Boo?"

:"Hoo-Sha!"

Grinning, James scooted the boys inside. "Okay you two time for bed." he commanded as the boys dashed in. With a final glance at the darkness, he whispered to whatever deity helped fathers watch over their daughters for some extra help tonight.

Anne's kiss on his cheek brought him back to reality. "Hi there Mrs. Possible."

"Have a fun time Mr. Possible?" Anne asked, grinning at the wad of Fearless Ferret merchandise that resided in a bag by the door. Picking up the bag he headed inside, locking the door afterwards.

"We had a ball Anne; well save for a few minutes ago before pulling into the driveway..."

"Oh?"

"Darnest thing--we had to dodge an owl who couldn't fly right; poor thing was acting like it had been beaten up six ways from Sunday..."

Through the darkness, Kim raced at breakneck speed towards Ron's, her heart pounding faster than her stride across the grass.

"I'm coming Ron! Don't you worry; we're going to get this fixed..." she whispered as his house came into view..."and neither of us is going to hurt anymore...".

To be Continued

Authors Note 2

-For some reason, when I write James I hear him using 'Kimmie-Cub' with the 'ie' and Anne uses the 'y'. This is real minor, but that's why there are two different spellings.

-I do really like Rufus! I just wanted to give him a heroic moment and have him out of Ron's house so the two teens can have the talk they need to have.


	5. Chapter 5

Between Kim and a Hard Place

Chapter 5

By: FortressMaximus

Authors Notes: Hello everyone! Thanks again to everyone who's read my stories and to those who have left reviews I really appreciate the positive feedback! Thanks for reading and I really hope you like this chapter!

I decided to do six chapters instead of five to improve the flow of the story. Trying to fit it all in really made it way too dark so the conclusion will be coming soon.

FM

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It was all she could do to not rip the doors off the hinges and dash up the stairs.

Having just arrived at the Stoppable house, Kim forced herself to stop...breath...and focus. (Head in the game Possible) she reminded herself (going in there like a bull in a china shop won't help Ron).

As much as she wanted to be with her boyfriend, there was something the teen needed to do first.

Wade blinked as the virtual Kimmunicator graphic slid into existence on his desktop. Knowing it was Kim and Ron's 'date night', the genius hadn't been expecting a call from Kim until late Saturday morning as that time was normally set aside for the pair to discuss site issues and such. With a flick of the mouse, he opened the video feed and smiled. "Hi Kim, what's..." he started to say, then paused when he noticed her outfit immediately ..."Is something wrong? You're in mission mode..." he commented, wondering if he had missed some important news event that warranted Kim's attention when he last scanned the news feeds less than five minutes ago.

"Wade, I know this is ferociously short notice, but I need to ask you a major favor..." Kim asked over the connection; her eyes darted from the small screen to Ron's house and then back to her friend.

"Sure Kim. What do you need?"

"I need you to take the web site down until Monday morning."

If Wade had been drinking his usual soda, half of it would now be over the screen. "Woah! Uhm...that's really short notice Kim." he said, sitting up a little bit straighter as Kim's request garnished his full attention. A quick glance at the bio-scan said it was the real Kim Possible and not a synthodrone or some other kind of copy or clone.

"I know Wade, and I wouldn't normally ask but I...can't take...any missions right now...I just can't..." she whispered, and the young man heard her voice tremble slightly as she was gripping the Kimmunicator tightly to keep her hands from shaking.

"Kim...is something wrong?" he asked quietly, going from concerned web site manager to trusted friend in the blink of an eye.

The cheerleader smiled at him and nodded a little. "It's...there's...Ron's..." she began to say, trying to find the right words but failing miserably.

Wade just sat there stunned as it was pretty odd to find Kim struggling to find the right thing to say.

"Ron and I had a fight Wade and...it was pretty bad..." she finally said, making it as simple as she could so as to not embarrass herself, Ron or Wade with more information than was necessary on what happened in the back-seat of her car just a few hours ago. "I...we...need to fix things...now...before..." she tried to explain, but fell silent when she simply ran out of words.

Wade remained silent for a few moments, lost in his own personal thoughts. He knew if Kim asked for the site to go off-line for an entire weekend she was in not shape mentally to face Drakken, Dementor or any of their usual foes. Sending her onto a mission with her head NOT in the game and with no Ron for back-up could spell disaster.

And Wade Load had swore on day one he would never let Kit be hurt by sending her in when she wasn't at her best. To date he had done his very best to keep that promise.

"You got it Kim. I'll contact Dr. Director at Global Justice; they can alert Team Impossible and Team Go they might need to pick up a little slack here and there."

With a grateful smile, Kim nodded. "Thanks Wade. You rock."

"I know..." he replied, grinning at the compliment like so many times before but honestly glad he was there to take some worry off Kim's overfilled plate.

"No, Wade; I really mean it. All these years you've been there for both Ron and myself, either at the keyboard or the rare holographic visit and...I don't think I've ever really told you how much you mean to us. Without you, I don't think Ron and I would have..well...been around long enough to actually have fights...or even to fall in love in the first place."

This was something Kim was going to bring up in the morning, but with Wade doing such a favor for her she knew there was no better time. As much as she wanted to rush to Ron's side; she had put this off for far too long. Besides, if she had assumed so many wrong things about Ron in the recent past, what did that say about her friendship with Wade? She couldn't just assume Wade knew how she felt; that was just wrong. The thought of her failing another good friend didn't sit well with her; so if this was her soul telling her to fix this sitch then she was going to do just that.

The young man blinked, truly not expecting Kim to be so generous with her praise out of the blue. Feeling his cheeks tint, Wade fumbled for the right words. 'Kim, I...that means a lot to me; it really REALLY does. You two are my..well, my best friends. But..uhm..listen..I...I know I haven't been, well, doing too well with you and Ron and the whole...uhm..."

"Dating sitch?"

"Yea, that. It's just...taken me a while to get used to you two...uhm..".

"Locking lips?" she teased, unable to resist the opening.

Again, Wade nodded, his blush deepening.

"I know we kinda sprung that on you after the whole Diablo plot last year Wade, but being strapped to a giant cactus while your Arch Enemy is taking over world with giant robots and realizing you're in love with your best friend who's been by your side for a decade plus kinda...well..."

"Goes from wrong sick to ackweird to 'WOAH' in a couple picoseconds?" suggested Wade, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Kim could only nod, blushing slightly herself by now. "Woah indeed.." she agreed, looking back up at the house in front of her.

Having a pretty good idea of where Kim was at by now, the boy did a quick bio-check of Ron's tracking chip. The smile fell rapidly from his face."Kim, I just checked Ron's vitals...".

Blinking, Kim went totally back into mission mode in under a second. "How bad?"

"BP's up, adrenaline's up...Kim-either he's running a marathon in his sleep or he's having the doozy of all nightmares..." he whispered, praying silently that his friend wasn't trapped in another monkey dream unaware that's exactly what Ron was wanting to happen this night.

To Ron, the alternative was more than he could take.

"Wade..."

"I know Kim; you've got a boyfriend to save. I hope...I KNOW everything's going to turn out okay for you two...".

With a soft smile, the teen heroine nodded as was about to close the channel with a small icon blinked on her screen. Tapping the icon she blinked, then felt the start of a huge grin forming on her lips. "There's 42 different versions of...well..."

"Yours and Ron's 'song'? Yea. Figured you might need a little something to remind Ron about just how much you two mean to each other..." Wade said, fixing Kim with a knowing look as he closed the MP3 upload link to the Kimmunicator... "although I can't really seen Ron as a fan of the Techno version...".

Kim giggled softly and nodded, her thanks evident in her sparkling eyes. With a thumbs up, Wade broke the link leaving Kim alone in the dead of night in front of Ron's house.

With a deep breath she took off once more, bounding over the landscaping and onto the front porch. Fishing the spare key from the hollow inside of the cement frog doorstop, Kim quietly slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

Pausing just inside the living room, Kim first noticed the faint glow coming from the TV. While not enough to see from the outside, the screen lit up most of the room to where she could navigate with some ease. Walking over, she saw the 'mute' symbol on the screen and glanced at the channel indicator. Gasping, she saw that it was on the one channel Ron had sworn he would never...EVER...watch again, thanks in part to the trip through TV reality courtesy of Drakken.

(Ron monkey nightmares) Kim thought to herself. "That's what Rufus said..." she muttered, glancing up at the stairs that led to Ron's room. "But why would he watch a channel that he knows will give...him...night...".

Shuddering, Kim tried to get rid of the crawling goose bumps that ran the length of her arms. "No, Ron MADE himself have nightmares so he wouldn't..." it was then she sat down on the sofa as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place..."so he wouldn't dream about me! But it didn't work! Rufus said he's having 'Bad Kim dreams' and 'monkey nightmares!"

"Oh God Ron, what have you done?" she whispered to the empty air around her, shaking in the realization that Ron was forcing himself to have nightmares so he wouldn't dream about her.

Dreams that she knew were perfectly natural and normal, but for Ron they were as evil as any villain they had faced.

thud

Kim blinked, jerked from her thought back to reality at the sound. In the empty house the noise stuck out like a lighthouse on a dark and stormy coastline.

thud

(WHAT is that?) she thought, shakily rising to her feet.

THUD

(That was louder than the first two...)

THUD

Slowly Kim began to realize the sounds was growing louder the closer she got to the stairs.

THUD

Trying her best to ignore the icy ball of worry trying to form in her stomach, Kim slowly crept up the steps, only pausing when she heard the dull thumping. Now she could feel the railing shimmer in time with the noise, giving proof there was a physical cause to the sound and not something her imagination was conjuring up to worry her further.

Step by step she walked up to Ron's room, the dull thudding getting louder by the moment as the vibrations continued to grow with intensity. Finally arriving at her boyfriend's door, she gently pushed it open.

Awash in the soft glow of the ever-present night light, the room had seen better days. The smell of sweat filled the small room as even the air felt heavy and oppressive. The bed was trashed; both the fitted sheet and the mattress pad underneath were pulled from place, bunched up in piles half-on and half-off the bed. Even from across the room Kim could tell half the picture frames on Ron's night stand were turned over and his lamp was only still standing because of the wide, heavy base.

"Ron..?..." Kim called out softly, not seeing the young man despite the fairly well-lit room.

THUD!

Forcing her heart to stay inside her chest, Kim whirled around to the far corner; the only area not covered by the small light bulb on the opposite wall. There, huddled with knees to chest was not the young man she loved., but rather a complete stranger.

His hair was beyond ruffled; sticking out at wild angles as if a finger had been stuck in a light socket. His pajamas were soaked and clinging to his frame, wrinkled as if they had been pulled and worn wet straight from the washing machine. His top was buttoned wrong, causing it to pull at odd angles as his bottoms were so twisted they couldn't have been anywhere CLOSE to comfortable.

It was the eyes, though, that hurt Kim the most. Instead of the sparkling brown orbs she had fallen in love with and could lose herself within for hours at a time, they were now bloodshot with the center of each being an empty pit of despair into Ron's fractured mind.

THUD!

Kim blanched as she finally realized what was causing the dreadful noise; every few seconds Ron would hit the back of his head against the wall, as if trying to drive the nightmares out by physical force. Gingerly, she walked over to the distraught young man and tenderly sat beside him.

"Ron?"

THUD!

"Ron, it's me."

THUD!

"Ron, it's Kim. Please talk to me...".

"Go away."

Biting her lip to keep from crying, Kim looked at the young man for a moment before reaching over to take his hand. "Ron, I don't want to go away."

"Go away. You're not real." he whispered, jerking his hand away before Kim could touch him. "You're just here to trick me!"

At that Kim blinked. "Why wouldn't I be real? Why would I trick you Ron? I love you...".

"You'd say that to trick me. You want me to have bad dreams about Kim but I won't!"

THUD!

By now Kim's heart was almost ready to break in two. He never looked at her, not even his eyes glanced towards her; it was as if doing so would give the power she needed to 'trick' him.

"Ron, I'm not a bad Kim. I'm a good Kim. I want you to have good dreams." she whispered, trying to work her way into his delusion so he could help him calm down.

"Liar! You want me to think bad thoughts about Kim!"

"If I'm a good Kim, why would I want you to have bad thoughts?"

Ron blinked as Kim's illogic became a pinprick of light in his darkened soul-at least for a second. Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to fix her with a burning gaze. "LIAR! You're trying to make me think dirty thoughts about Kim but I won't do it! I took the cold showers and watched the monkey movies! I won't let you make me think about polluting Kim!"

(Polluting...me? What does he mean??) she thought, trying to take his hand again, only to be denied once more.

THUD!

Kim knew she was going to have a difficult talk with Ron, but she never expected...this. Knowing the had to reach the boy she loved underneath the distraught one before her, she pulled out the Kimmunicator and fingered the D-pad for a moment. (I wanted this to be something special to listen to, after we made up; but if I don't reach Ron now, we may not HAVE a later!). Pressing the 'play' button, the Kimmunicator activated and within seconds the instrumental version of their song began to echo through the room.

Though no words were being said, both Kim...and on some level Ron...heard the lyrics echo in their mind's eye. Slowly, each drifted back to the night of the Junior Prom and the kiss that changed everything...

I know...we've been.. friends forever, but now I'm thinking something totally new..

And after all this time...I've opened up my eyes...now I see..you were always there for me..

As the soft music filled the room, Kim join in humming along with the tune. She slipped her left arm behind Ron's head, comforting any further impacts against the wall. Finally, she was able to lock her free hand with his right, squeezing it tightly as if to give Ron her strength to break free from the horrors that filled his dreams, turning intimate fantasy into horrific nightmare. .

Rocking Ron back and forth, Kim wasn't sure what to try next. (He's in no shape to talk; and if he's slept any tonight I'd be shocked) Cuddling him close, the continued the tune until at long last he was asleep. "I'm right here Ron, and I'm never going to leave you.." she whispered, knowing this was but the smallest of victories. When they woke up the next morning, Kim knew she had to get to the bottom of everything or risk losing Ron forever...

To Be Concluded...


	6. Chapter 6

Between a Kim and a Hard Place

Chapter 5- Finale

By: FortressMaximus

A/N-Well, here it is. I appreciate everyone's patience while I finished this story. While the first four chapters came like gangbusters, this chapter had the dubious pleasure of being waylaid by a strong reemergence of my Digimon and Jackie Chan muses, not to mention some real world weirdness that I'm glad-in a way-is over.

I do hope the chapter was worth the wait, and you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

I know I only have two stories in the KP Universe, this and 'Say the Word' (which is next on my to do list) but I would like to ask you to consider me a candidate for the upcoming Fannie Awards in Best New Writer and (possibly) Best Short Story IF I can sneak them in under the word count. I'd like to have the bearings of chrome steel to ask for Best Romance, but considering some of the wonderful works out there this year I'm going to just put 'Between' out there and lets the fans decide.

Again, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who's left a review and waited patiently for this final installment.

Thank you and, of course, any and all thought are greatly welcomed!

FortressMaximus January 20th, 2008

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Ron sat on the edge of the bed, feeling as if he'd had a lair dropped on him.

Maybe TWO lairs, judging by the size of the headache he woke up with.

With a deep sigh he stood, shakily making his way out the door and towards the bathroom as the need for relief took a bit more importance than the pain that seemed to bounce around his head like a possessed Ping-Pong ball.

Reaching the bathroom and with his left hand firmly against the wall, Ron steadied himself with his right and let nature take it's course. (Man, my aim is shot this morning...) he halfway mused, finally finishing and cleaning up his mess after a few minutes. Bleary-eyed, the teen splashed water on his face and patted himself dry with a nearby hand towel. It was only then did Ron realize he looked almost as bad as he felt. Bloodshot eyes looked back at him, his hair-while never in the most fashionable of styles- lay tangled beyond recent memory and sat in a matted mess atop his head. His PJ top was askew; buttons nowhere close to being lined up. Even worse, his bottoms were doing their level best to help him hit the high notes.

But for all the pain his outward appearance presented, it was nothing to the sick, empty numbness he felt inside as the events of last night flooded into his memory unbidden. Feeling as if he might puke, Ron stood back over the toilet once more-just in case-but no physical relief came up from his stomach. The dull ache continued and with a sigh he slowly made his way back to bed. All he wanted right now was to crawl under the covers and submerge himself in the all -comforting darkness of his sheets and comforter.

Grateful he still had some Smarty Mart aspirin in his night stand drawer, he downed two in the hopes of warding off the still-pounding headache that now seemed anchored firmly in his temples.

Just as he was about to lie back down, the ever-present photo of him with Kim at a long-ago Middleton Days caught his eye. Sitting up once more, he plucked the frame from the crowd of items on the night stand and stared at the glossy image for a long moment. Another deep sigh escaped his lips as the put it back down and crawled into bed, his gaze still fixated on the photo of happier times.

"I'm sorry Kim."

"About what Ron?"

The boy blinked, taken aback by the fact he heard Kim's voice as clear as day. He was a bit shaken until he realized it was her voice in his mind 'talking' back to him. ( Great, I'm having a conversation with myself...) he mused, wondering if he still sane, or if one of the first signs of madness was that he could so clearly imagine Kim's voice it was like having her right beside him.

"Guess if I can still ask myself that question then I suppose I'm still sane..I think..." he muttered to the empty air, his headache being made worse by tackling philosophical questions at...ugh...eight-thirty in the morning.

"Of course you're sane Ron; why wouldn't you be?"

Resting his head on the fluffy pillow, the teen decided that if he was going to have a mental conversation with 'Kim' if would be good practice for when he saw her next; at least he could practice his apology before she ended their romance...and friendship...forever. Still looking at Kim's picture, the boy half-shrugged..."After what happened last night Kim, I don't know...".

There was a long pause, as if the part of him 'playing' Kim didn't know how to respond to that. Guessing whatever weirdness that had started the conversation vanished Ron was about to turn over when...

"You're still sane Ron; but we do need to talk about last night."

"Noting to talk about Kim. I messed up real bad, and now you're going to dump me. Can't say I blame you either."

"Why would...what makes you think I'm dumping you?"

"I was a jerk Kim! I ...I thought about you in a way that I shouldn't and..and I treated you like I was some...some stupid Jock! Pawing...and..touching you like some kind of... horn dog on the make!"...he almost growled, his self-anger almost a tangible weight on his shoulders. Realizing he needed to step back, Ron paused and tried to gather his thoughts. "I can't talk like that around the real Kim! If I yell, she'll think I'm mad at her and I'm not. It's MY fault and I'm not going to let her take the blame for something she didn't do!"

"Ron, it's not all your fault; I was there too remember?. Maybe...maybe we both should have talked about all of this sooner. If we had, what happened last night wouldn't have taken us both by surprise like it did."

"It's all my fault Kim, and I'm not going to let you take blame just because I can't...can't control myself!" he said to the picture, wondering why the 'Kim' part of his mind wouldn't just let it drop.

"Are you...is that what you really think Ron?"

Ron said nothing as he snuggled down into the covers, now determined to ignore the little voice.

"Is that why you won't look at me? Are you that ashamed of..of wanting to be closer to me?"

"I'm looking at your picture Kim, what more do you want?!"

A gentle touch fell upon his shoulder. "Ron, look at me...please?"

The blood in Ron's body froze to a slushy crawl as he slowly looked over his shoulder. There, on the other side of the bed, was Kim Possible.

The real, honest-to-God, in the flesh Kim Possible.

"KP!!"

With one of his patented 'screams of manly courage', Ron Stoppable frantically tried to escape the smothering confines of his covers and-with more grace than Kim would have guessed possible-fell right off the bed and onto the floor with a resounding THUD.

A stark silence filled the room as the two looked at each other. Confusion was clear on the young woman's face while near-panic raced across the face of her BFBF. Tentatively, Kim reached towards Ron, only to have her friend flinch at the nearness of her hand and subconsciously inched away from her.

Kim's heart broke in half in the moment, but she knew that-judging from the look on Ron's face-he didn't even realize what he had done. She took another moment to steady her emotions and withdrew from his personal space. "Ron...what's wrong?"

"W-what are...what are you DOING here KP?" he asked, though it came out much more demanding than intended.

"I was here last night; don't you remember?"

The already ashen look on the boy's face somehow became lighter as the night before again danced across his mind's eye. "L...last night?"

With a soft nod and a gentle smile, Kim tried to keep her voice from quivering. "That's right Ron. I came over here last night. I used the spare key to let myself in so we could talk. Doesn't any of this ring a bell?"

Racking his brain, the whole evening still came out a jumbled mess. "I..I don't know Kim. I remember..the lake..and..OH..GOD..you! I...I left you at the lake!" he shouted, standing up with some success as he grabbed the corner of the night stand to keep himself upright. "Oh Kim, I'm so sorry! First I try to hurt you, then I abandoned you there! I'm the worse boyfriend in the universe..." he whimpered, the pain in his voice thick and heavy.

"Ron, it's OK! You didn't mean to leave me; things just got a little...weird...that's all! It wasn't your fault and I got home all right!" she countered, trying to reason with her distraught boyfriend.

"No, it's not Kim! I was a sick idiot so stop defending me!"

"Dammit Ron!" she yelled, her temper flaring for a moment and catching him off guard by both her tone and her cussing for the first time in a non-mission sitch. "You...we...were confused Ron. Neither of us were thinking straight, but that doesn't mean you were doing anything wrong!"

"KP, I almost tried to have sex with you!"

"And I almost let you!"

The pair stood there in the sudden silence as it engulfed the pair. Stunned by the admission of the other, both Ron and Kim felt their faces turn beet red as each looked at the floor for the longest time. It was finally Kim who found her voice first.

"Ron...please..sit down?"

"KP, I should just leave...".

"Um, It's your house Ron...".

"Oh..yea. Right. Uhm..did you...you know..want to...come back...later...maybe?"

"No."

Blinking, Ron finally met Kim's gaze and the latter could see the fear still prevalent in the boy's eyes. "Kim...if you stay...I might..."

"Might 'what' Ron? Hit me?"

"Wha...NO! I would never do that!"

"But that's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Hurting me somehow." she said, fixing him with an even look. "If I stay, what will you do to hurt me? Slap me? Throw me to the floor? Use your Mystical Monkey Powe..."

"STOP IT! Please KP, stop saying things like that! I would never use my powers on you! I couldn't...I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did any of that to you!"

"They why do you think you'll hurt me just by being close? You weren't hitting me, or slapping me, or using your MMP. You weren't hurting me last night either Ron...I promise you that."

"But..but you said not to...kiss you...or touch you. You said...'Don't...stop..." and I did Kim. Remember? You asked me to stop and I did! I just...I should have tried harder to not let it go that far! I tried! I promise you I tried Kim..." he said urgently, as if begging Kim to believe in his words.

"I know Ron, but...what I said isn't what I meant.." she said, sighing as the sitch was getting more confusing than before. "Ron...please..." she said, once more offering her hand..."sit down?"

"Kim..."

"Ron...I trust you; I trust you more than anyone else in the world." she said with every ounce of honesty she possessed.

Those simple words brought a ghost of a smile to the boy's lips; the first of the whole conversation. Hesitantly he let go of the night stand and peeled the mass of bed sheets from around his form. Finally back in his PJ's, the youth gingerly took Kim's hand and sat down on the bed as his gaze fell to the floor.

A gentle caress upon his hand brought his gaze back up to Kim's as her hand wrapped around his own. "Ron, last night...when I said 'Don't...Stop...'" she whispered, trying her best to mimic the same way of saying the words her mom had used..."it wasn't for you to stop. What I meant to say was 'don't stop' doing what you were doing."

Blinking as the two different ways of saying the phrase registered in his mind, Ron slowly began to realize his...their...mistake. "So...you wanted me to keep kissing you...right?"

Another tint of red crossed Kim's cheeks as she nodded. "You see Ron...it wasn't anyone's fault; we just..."

"Had an akweird moment?"

Smiling, Kim laughed softly. "Something like that."

Ron didn't share in the laughter, but his smile grew a little. "Guess I should have paid more attention to Mr. Barken in English. Or would that have been Grammar?"

The mood lightened slightly as Kim continued to hold Ron's hand in hers, wanting to say more but not willing to push the fragile understanding they had forged. Several more minutes of silence went by until he looked over at her.

"Did you mean what you said earlier about...us?"

"About us what?"

"You..and me...um...together..".

A flush of embarrassed fear chilled Kim to the bones, but the young woman new she couldn't hid her feelings any further; her mom helped the heroine understand how important this conversation was to their future. "I think...you and I would have stopped before ...IT...happened Ron, but I know that you and me...we'd know a lot more about each other this morning if things had continued on."

Burying his head in his hands, Ron shook his head and muttered something to himself.

Or so he thought.

"Ron Stoppable, you are not going to take another cold shower! I don't care why you've been doing that, but it's going to stop right now!"

(How did she know about that?!) he asked himself, now looking at her with disbelief etched across his face.

"And don't you EVEN think about forcing yourself to watch another monkey movie! You KNOW what those do to you!"

(No way...) is what he thought. What he said out loud was..."Kim...you don't understand. I...I have to take those showers; I don't have a choice."

"Your're right Ron; I DON'T understand. Why would you force yourself to take cold showers and watch monkey movies when you hate both?"

Ron's face scrunched up slightly as he tried to reign in his emotions. "Kim, you don't understand and it's not important for you to. Just...don't make me promise to stop, okay?"

"No, it's not okay Ron! I'm not going to just let you tear yourself apart over forcing yourself to watch monkey movies! You know those give you nightmares!"

"Darn it Kim! I hate to take those showers and watch those movies, but I don't have any choice!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I can't stop dreaming about you that's why! Every night it's the same and it's sick and it's wrong!"

"Ron..."

Grabbing her by the shoulders, Ron's face was a mix of agony and embarrassment, but the words now had a life of then own and he couldn't stop them from flowing.. "You don't know what it's like Kim! Every night I think about you, beside me...BENEATH me, calling my name, begging me to make love to you!" It was then the tears started to fall and his body began to shake..."I tried to stop them Kim, but I wasn't strong enough! Without the showers...and the monkeys...all I can think about is you...with me...together...".

Kim sat there for a moment, taken back by the intimate picture painted by Ron's words. It was then she pulled him into a powerful hug and held him close. But how do you truly console someone who hated himself just for having the most typical of dreams.

"Ron, those kind of dreams are normal for people our age..." she whispered, gently caressing his cheek with her fingertips. "Just because you dream it doesn't mean you're a bad person."

"Yes, they do."

Kim continued to hold him close. "Why?"

"You...you don't deserve to be thought of like that Kim." he replied, finally meeting her gaze. "You're so beautiful and perfect; people like you shouldn't be thought of...like that."

"I'm not perfect Ron; you know that. I have my faults like everyone else. If it wasn't for you, who know where my 'Kimness' would have taken me by now. People our age have those kind of dreams Ron; you, Felix, Monique, even Wade in a few years. Even me...".

It was then he froze in place, fixing her with a doubtful look.

"It's true Ron. You think boys have a lock on the 'naughty night dreams'?"

His expression soured. "You're a girl, it's not the same."

At THAT she did a double-blink. "Oh, really? Why not?"

"With girls it's about knights and white horses and being carried off into the sunset.." he explained..."for a lot of guys...it's more about the physical stuff."

She sat there, trying to figure out if Ron was being dense on purpose, trying to derail the conversation or if he truly believe that. Deciding it was honestly more the latter, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

( Mom, you said we couldn't be embarrassed; shame you didn't tell me how to DO that...)

"Sometimes Ron, late at night, I put PandaRoo in my closet."

Not quite sure what that had to do with the current conversation, the boy simply nodded. "Ooookay...".

"I still love him, but...I don't want him to see. It's stupid, I know...but when he's not looking is the only time I can...dream about you."

"About...me?"

Kim nodded, trying her very best to ignore the flaming bit of crimson seemingly now permanently stained on her cheek. "Sometimes we're in a snowbound cabin in the mountains, or in a tent under the stars in Yellowstone. One time it was on the beach, like in that old movie. A lot of the times you don't even ask; I just look into your eyes and I know what you're asking. When I'm with you, it's always so gentle and tender. You always think of me first before yourself and I KNOW that I'll never regret a single moment we share together."

Ron's eyes widened as he began to slowly understand both what Kim was...and was not... saying. But the young woman missed the look, adrift in telling her own innermost thoughts to the one man she trusted beyond anyone else on the planet.

"I know it's just a fantasy Ron, but sometimes I forget that. For a few minutes it's real and it's YOU there...beside me...inside me...and I finally know what it must feel like to share yourself with someone body and soul."

He wanted to say something...ANYTHING...to let Kim know that he finally understood what she was talking about, but the words avoided him. Instead, his mind was racing with a simple but profound realization: if someone like Kim had the same kind of dreams he had, did that mean it really was okay to think of her...like that?

"Sometimes, I'll tell PandaRoo the next morning; I mean, he deserves to know WHY he was put in the closet right? And I know he won't judge me, or think of me like some kind of... tramp...for thinking of you like that...". Kim's voice trailed off, not sure what else to say but glad she remember her mother's earlier threat about her word choices.

Ron blinked, shaken out of his own thoughts by the self-depreciating label Kim used towards herself. "KP, that word...it's not you. It doesn't even come close to describing you and it never will!" he said, voice rising momentarily before lowering back to normal.

A heavy quiet filled the air between the pair, each debating on what to say. Between Kim's admission of her desire for Ron and the Ron's realization that his desire for Kim wasn't as wrongsick as he thought, the night they almost shared seemed more like a missed opportunity now rather than a disaster they avoided. But still, something was bothering Ron and he knew that if Kim could tell her darkest secrets to help him then he could do no less for her.

"I'm scared I won't be any good Kim...".

The redhead looked up, surprise etched on her face. "What?" she asked softly, not sure if she heard him correctly or not.

Sighing, he looked at her for the first time in minutes. "What if I'm no good Kim? What then? Is that when you finally realize that I'm not worthy to be your boyfriend and you dump me?"

At first she wanted to laugh. Then she realized how serious he was.

(Uh-Oh.)

Taking another few moments to gather her thoughts, she looked over at her boyfriend. "Is that was this is all about Ron? You're worried that I'm going to leave you just because something neither of us has even done might not be perfect the first time we try?" It came out a bit more sarcastic than she meant, but if he picked up on the mistake he didn't show it.

"Yea...no. Kinda."

Biting her lower lip at the less-than-helpful reply, Kim tried another tact. "Ron, we both know that all the locker room talk we hear is ninety percent lies and the other ten is highly debatable. If the guys on the team are giving you grief just because we haven't done 'IT' yet..." she started to say, hoping it was just a bad case of locker-room bravado that upset Ron. Lord knows she had a few bouts with the same sitch when Bonnie would brag about her and Brick...in detail.

Ron turned to look at her, eyes slightly narrowed. "Kim, even I know that junk is full of more bologna than your average serving of Mystery Meat. It's just..." his voice trailed off for a moment before he found the courage to continue..."Kim, there are so many things I do so badly, and don't say that's not true because we both know I'm right."

Wincing internally at his tone, all Kim could do was nod and let him continue.

"What if...what if this is the final thing that makes you realize I'm not the guy who's best for you? You deserve to be loved and celebrated and...treated like a goddess. That's not putting you up on a pedestal KP; for me it's the truth. What if being the man you deserve...physically ...isn't something I can't step up to? You deserve a life full of passion and love. I can love with all my heart and soul, but if I can't give you the passion you deserve...I don't deserve you."

"Ron, it's so ferociously wonderful that you care that much about me; there's not a woman out there who wouldn't kill to find someone as honest and caring as you..." she softly stated, squeezing his hand gently. "But passion is something we're BOTH going to have to learn as we go. Someone told me..not long ago...that being in love is the start of the worlds' greatest adventure. We're on that path together Ron, and we can't tell what's around the next bend. But together, we'll figure it out step by step. I'm NOT going to leave you Ron-not today, not tomorrow...not EVER."

The growing smile on Ron's face was welcome relief to the cheerleader as she finally was able to alleviate Ron's fears. Of course, Kim was no stranger to the various worries that plagued her boyfriend on a semi-regular basis-these same issues would pop up again down the road. However, knowing the base of the worries she knew in her heart they would overcome them together.

Another bout of quiet hovered between them, just holding hands and letting their presence comfort the other. It was Ron who finally spoke..."So...KP...where to we go...from here...wait a minute..."

"Humm?"

"Uhm..KP? You said you came over last night...right?"

"Yes."

"And you were here this morning when I woke up right?"

"Uhm...yea Ron. You saw me sitting beside you while ago remember?"

"True. So...I take it you didn't like...go home and come back?"

"With my best friend-boyfriend in trouble? No way!"

"So...that means you spent the night right?"

"Ron, you're asking a lot of questions but you're not really going anywhere with them..."

"KP YOU SPENT THE NIGHT!" he shouted as he stood, chest heaving as he started to hyperventilate. "That's it! Game over! The Ron Man's gonna be the first guy to be shot into the sun!"

Kim blinked, finally realizing what her boyfriend was freaking out about. "Ron! Ron listen to me...it's okay! Dad's not going to shoot you into space!"

"KP! I don't wanna get shot into the sun! I have freckles; I don't tan, I burn! Kim, I can't afford that much sun block!"

Before another panicked observation could escape Ron's lips, they found themselves under attack from two very warm and very moist lips that just happened to belong to one Miss Kim Possible. Kissing with as much passion as the night before, Kim let herself flow into the moment, hands drifting up the back of Ron's PJ top to caress his shoulders under the flannel material. Ron, taken by total surprise, could only stand there and return the kiss with as much passion he could muster. Kim deepened the kiss a little more as she felt Ron's hands on her hips, smiling at how wonderful it felt this time without all the worry and fear from the night before. They kept that up for several long seconds before each pulled away, the pounding of their own hearts becoming warning drums that could not be circumvented.

"Boo-Ya..." whispered Kim, borrowing Ron's favorite phrase as the pair leaned on each other's forehead.

"Spankin'..." replied Ron, stealing a phrase himself.

At that the red-haired woman giggled. "Oh, were you dreaming about that too?" she teased playfully, almost falling down with laughter as Ron realized what she meant.

Now totally beet red, Ron couldn't find the words to admonish Kim, but his eyes easily begged her to not suggest that again or he'd implode on the spot. ":S...So...no space launch?"

"Daddy knows I'm here Ron; why do you think I'm not scared? Besides, Missions usually get me a little more leeway in the curfew department."

Ron blinked. "I was a mission?"

"My most important one ever."

He blushed, but said nothing else content to just hold Kim for a few minutes more.

Kim reached down and took Ron's hand in hers and without a word gently guided him back to bed. Before the young man could protest, Kim kissed his cheek. "I'm tired-you're tired so we need to take a nap."

"A...nap...together...in the same bed?"

She nodded. "Like I said, I trust you Ron. Besides, you asked what was next and this is it; one baby step at a time."

"The Ron-Man's all about the slow and steady KP..."

With a graceful tug the pair fell onto Ron's bed and-as if two separate pieces finally made whole-locked together in an innocent embrace. So powerful was their love the shadows of fear that had gripped the young man no longer held sway and both slept the sleep of angels.

"Rufus, I'm so sorry I made you worry...". Ron started to apologize, but a tiny 'talk to the hand' brought him up short. Kim had told Ron about Rufus and his brush with the owl after the pair had woke up earlier in the day. Of course, Ron tried to hold himself accountable for his bud's injuries, but the rodent would hear nothing of it.

Nor would Kim.

With a grin, Rufus leaned against Kim's elbow and assuming a very 'Naked Mole Rap' pose the rodent grinned. "Me and Kim-got Ron's back!"

Ron scrunched up his face for a second before the trio fell into gales of laughter as the smell of brainloaf echoed up the stairs from the kitchen. Inside Anne and James looked at each other and smiled, beyond grateful that whatever had transpired the night before between daughter and boyfriend seemed to put things back to normal for the pair.

Just WHAT that 'what' was they didn't know...yet...and that worry was etched on James's face. Anne knew her husband was worried about how far Kim went to put things right between the two but was trying his best to not second-guess his daughter. The pair looked up as Kim entered with empty soda glasses for a quick refill.

Kim paused to give her mom another deep hug, grateful that her advice helped restore Ron's battered emotions to normal. "Thank you for everything. I think we're going to be okay now...". she whispered softly, the anger that had clouded her judgment the night before now replaced with a deep glimmer of hope for their future.

"I'm so glad to hear that Kimmy!" Anne replied, giving her daughter another powerful hug. It was then she slightly nodded towards James and Kim understood. Walking over, she gave her dad an equally powerful hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you too, Daddy...for trusting me..for trusting us." she said, knowing that he would have never gave his permission if Ron had not proven himself worthy of that trust time and again.

James smiled and nodded, folding his paper aside to hug his daughter. "I've always trusted you Kimmie-Cub, I just...didn't say it enough. With Ron..well, I trust him...but I was a boy too and I remember how they think. Now, I know you think I'm an old fuddy-duddy..."

"Daddy, you're smart and kind and I love you so much! All dads have trouble letting go, and...maybe...I'm not quite ready to let go myself.. " she whispered, bringing a grateful smile to the elders' face.

"Heya KP! You gotta come check this out!" came Ron's voice from the tweebs room/workshop/disaster area.

Having heard no explosions, Kim wondered what was up. With a kiss on the cheek to both parents the teen hero made her way upstairs and peeked around the corner.

"What the...?"

Rufus was standing up, decked out in the same blue and white material Kim's Battle Suit was forged of. Despite the leftover pain from the owl attack the night before, the naked mole rat did a surprisingly good job of breaking in the suit. From the force bubble to invsi-cloak, jai-li energy gauntlet to built-in grappler, the super-small outfit matched Kim's move for move.

"Woah guys.." muttered Ron two the two twins standing proudly beside their creation..."I'm impressed. How long before you can get the Ron-Man a kickbutt suit!?"

The pair of youths glanced at their sister, who was shaking her head 'NO' as subtly as possible. Ron missed the exchange, still focused on the warrior mole's workout.

"Uhm...we used the last of the material Ron"  
"And Wade can't get anymore right now"  
"Without calling in some major government favors"  
"And he kinda needs to save those for emergencies..."

Kim was impressed; if the twins plans to be scientists didn't work out, they could always go into politics with their ability to 'adapt' the truth.

"Awwww, man...that tanks..." sulked a dejected Ron as Kim sat beside him, grateful Ron seemed to accept the reasons put before him. With a kiss on the cheek (and twin barfing motions by Jim and Tim off to one side) Ron slowly regained his smile. "Hey, no worries! I've got mad skills that no suit can do!" he bragged, bringing a grin to Kim and Rufus's face.

"But where did you come up with the idea for it tweebs?" asked Kim, a bit curious as to when the idea started.

"Actually, we got it in a dream Kim!" came the duel reply.

"A dream?"

"Yea" started Jim, getting the 'go ahead and start' look from his mirror-brother. "We had this dream where a chipmunk came and gave us the drawings of a Rufus-sized battle suit!"

Ron and Kim looked at each other. "A chipmunk?" they both asked at the same time.

"I know, it's weird but it was a great idea!" said Tim as he took over the explanation. "See, this chipmunk in a Fedora and bomber jacket..."

"Hold on Tim.." interrupted Jim, a puzzled look dawning on his face. "When we talked about this morning.." he said, not mentioning the two were up most of the night off and on only halfway sleeping as they worried about Rufus..."you said it was just a chipmunk; you didn't say anything about what he was wearing."

So? We're twins! We have the same dreams sometimes..." he started to say, but paused when the saw the look his brothers' face. "What?"

"In my dream, the chipmunk was wearing a red Hawaiian shirt...".

As the two debated on the dream, Rufus used his foot-paw to gingerly push the twin sheets of paper off the back of the bed, under the headboard and onto the floor. As the papers fluttered into the mass of comic books and CD's, he knew he had done the right thing.

There were some secrets not even HIS humans could ever know about.

At least...not yet.

The important thing was his Human was okay now; Ron's mate would be there when he could not and that meant more to the naked mole rat than he could ever find the words to say.

With a sigh to himself, the rodent smiled. At long last, things were back to normal.

Well, as normal as they got in the life of Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable.

Epilog

-----

The loaned cabin had been a graduation gift from Mr. Paisley; a long overdue favor for helping save him and his CuddleBuddie collection all those years ago.

The avalanche was complements of Professor Dementor and his stealing of the Pan-Dimensional-Vortex-Inducer..AGAIN. Kim and Ron had stopped the diminutive scientist from trying to rule New Zealand ( something about making a fortune in movie royalties ) but the resulting victory rapidly turned bittersweet. They had only just made it back to the cabin when the roaring torrent crashed down upon them, trapping them inside.

Wade had their location pinpointed within seconds, but Kim and Ron knew both local and international search teams would be stretched thin in the vastness of the remote mountains.

"We've got plenty of food and water Wade; tell rescue services to focus on everyone else first. If anything changes, we'll let you know."

"No problem guys; I'll take care of everything on my end.." replied the young genius. With a grin he started to close the connection..."Oh..and guys?"

"Yea Wade?"

"Don't lose your cool!" he joked, closing the link before Kim could think of a suitable reply.

"You've been giving him humor lessons again, haven't you?" the redhead playfully accused her companion.

"Hey, the Ron-Man has got to pass along his skills to the next generation!" he replied, dodging a soft slap at his shoulder from the long-suffering young woman.

"How about the Ron-Man start a fire before we freeze?" Kim suggested, hand on her hips.

Realizing he was treading on thin ice Ron nodded and started the fire. After getting that done and fixing a light dinner of soup and sandwiches, the pair stretched out on the fake bearskin rug. The crackling warmth filled the small cabin as the two cuddled close. For the past several nights they had fallen asleep there, beyond content to enjoy each other's company in the stillness of the night.

But this night was different.

The caresses were more passionate, the touches more intimate. Any words they tried to say came out lost in gentle whimpers which in time turned into soulful moans. It was then his deep brown eyes met hers of green, and the most profound of understandings passed between them.

With only a simple nod, Kim answered the unspoken question shining bright in Ron's eyes, and slowly the pair slipped into a lovers embrace. There was no hesitation; no fear. The horrors of that night long past were obliterated in a single passionate moment when two souls finally became one.

Anne Possible jerked upright in her bed, a sudden sensation waking her from a sound sleep. James still slept undisturbed; years of marriage to a doctor always on call had gave him the ability to sleep through most anything.

Slipping into her robe, the woman walked into the living room, pausing at the stairs that led up to Kim's loft. Treading carefully, she made her way to her daughters window and looked out into the night sky, focusing on a single bright star in the distant firmament. "She's yours now Ron; please watch over my baby..." Anne whispered, knowing-but not sure HOW-what had disturbed her slumber.

With a soft sigh Anne decided to return to bed; if James woke up her absence might worry the man. He was going to have a hard enough time once Kim and Ron's night together became known to the two pair of parents and she didn't want to add to it. Pausing for a moment, Anne fiddled with Kim's bed straightening it as moms are want to do. Satisfied it now met her parental criteria, she started to leave pausing only to take one last look at her daughter's room.

Blinking, she turned away and slowly made her way back to her bed, shaking her head at how tired she must be.

After all, for a moment, she thought she saw PandaRoo smile.

FIN

A/N 2--Just for the record, I take no responsibility for any sudden increase of Chip and Dale Rescue Ranger muses that happen to guest star Rufus. Total coincidence!


End file.
